Dam Shame

“The flood is over but there is still a lot of work to be done.”

Joe Wilkinson, Iowa Wildlife Federation

Lake Delhi dam breached last July; left one heck of a mess in its wake

When floodwaters broke through an earthen section of the Lake Delhi dam last July, it was like pulling the plug on an oversized bathtub. The nine-mile-long lake, which had weathered storms for 92 years, drained within hours. Its waters rushed along the bulging shores of the Maquoketa River, spilling into cropland and threatening towns downriver. In the end, the towns were spared, but what was left in the wake of the flood was a mess. 

The Lake Delhi Homeowners Association, politicians, and bureaucrats have been dealing with the legal mess. The dam was privately owned by the homeowners association, and estimated costs of replacing it range from $10 to $15 million. Last month the Iowa Senate approved $5 million to help with repairs.

As for the physical mess, homeowners have been cleaning up their sodden homes and insurance companies have been grappling with the costs. Downriver, debris still clutters the shores of the Maquoketa River nearly a year later. Students from West Delaware High School in nearby Manchester, Iowa (population 4,872) decided to do something about it. Last week, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Trudging along the shoreline, the kids pulled out everything from life jackets and flip flops to pieces of dock and a refrigerator. It was a long day and in the end they cleaned up about 200 yards. There’s still a ways to go, about 2 miles according to the Iowa Wildlife Federation. 200 yards down; 2 miles to go. Any volunteers?

Sources:

Iowa’s Lake Delhi dam bursts due to flooding

Lake Delhi dam officials unveil $9.9 million plan to rebuild by next summer

Iowa Senate OKs $5 million to help repair Lake Delhi dam

Manchester students clean-up Lake Delhi

A Tale of Two Cities

“To lose your school is to lose your identity as a town.”

George Canon, Town Supervisor of Newcomb, New York

Rural New York school recruits overseas students

The tiny town of Andrew, Iowa (population 431) is my neighbor. Only a few miles down the road, it’s the typical small town: a smattering of houses, gas station, restaurant, bar, post office, fire department, and school. The school, a K-12 with 267 students, has been the pride of the community for 122 years. But it’s been on shaky ground these last few years. With dwindling student numbers and the resulting loss of state funds, parents and the community have pulled together to keep their school open: planning and strategizing, fundraising and belt tightening, and class sharing with a nearby school. This year, bowing under economic pressures, the school made the tough decision to reorganize. It will graduate its final senior class of 24 students next month, and when classes resume in the fall the school will operate as a K-8.


A thousand miles to the east, Newcomb, New York (population 445), tucked into a remote valley in the Adirondacks, tells a similar story but with a different ending. Even though the town’s population has been steadily shrinking since a local mine closed in the 1970s, enrollment in its school, a preK-12 with only 86 students, has grown. How can that be? About five years ago the school superintendent started thinking outside the box, way out—global, in fact. Clark “Skip” Hults began marketing Newcomb Central School as an American prep school for the international set. He had everything he needed: high educational standards, college-level courses, community support, and a picture-postcard setting. It’s working. This year, 29 of the school’s students are international or out of district: their home countries range from France and Russia to Iraq and Viet Nam. Each student pays $7,000, which includes a top-notch education and housing with a local family. The school’s students, both local and international, like the setup. The local kids say they like getting to know students from around the world, and the international kids like the small community—though it did take some getting used to. When they heard they were going to New York for school, some of the foreign students pictured big city and bright lights. What they ended up with are stunning mountain vistas, clean air, small town hospitality, and no cell phones (the mountains block the signal). After a bit of adjustment, the international kids say they love Newcomb. They wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Read the Articles:
The 1st day of the last year
Rural New York school recruits overseas students
Newcomb Central School offers an international learning experience

Lots o’ Land

“Towns need to grow to survive.”

Karen Lauer, Barnesville, Minnesota Economic Development

Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Land of the Free

Small towns and rural communities are using what they have to woo newcomers, and for some that means free land. In Kansas there’s so much free land they host an online site, Kansas Free Land, that provides links to all of the communities giving it away. In Curtis, Nebraska lucky homeowners can snatch up a lot overlooking the golf course. And in Marne, Iowa, one family not only got free land but also got $10,000 in down payment assistance. Sometimes when a deal sounds too good to be true, it’s just good.

Read the Article ® 7 towns where land is free

Bonus Link ® Click on USDA Rural Development for information on getting low-interest loans to buy or build in rural areas.

I ran the following story last week. It’s about one town’s incentives for attracting newcomers. I thought it was worth repeating here . . . in case you missed it the first time . . . and in case you’re thinking about building in Minnesota.

If You Pay Them, They Will Build

Town leaders in Barnesville, Minnesota (population 2,314) have been hard at work attracting folks to their community. First, they offered free lots to newcomers willing to build. Then, they sweetened the pot with utility incentives. And now—cold, hard cash: twenty-five hundred bucks to the first four people who move to their town and build a home. This is one town that knows the way to a homeowner’s heart is through their pocketbook.

Read the Article ® Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Gotta Have Groceries

“I grew up scooping turkey manure and driving a tractor.”

Nick Graham, Small Town Grocery Tycoon

Iowa grocery tycoon, 21, builds small-town business

Tycoon Nick Blows into Town

Nick Graham is kind of a big deal in small town grocery stores. Where others are throwing in the towel and shuttering stores, he’s buying them up and keeping local communities supplied. At 21 years old, Graham might be considered a youngster, but he’s an old hand in the grocery business. He bought his first store in Minnesota when he was 17, and by the time he sold it two years later he was grossing $100,000 a week. Graham’s empire now includes three stores in small town Iowa. Read the article to see which popular American novel gave Graham the idea for his first business plan.

Read the Article ® Iowa grocery tycoon, 21, builds small-town business

Students Pitch in to Bring Grocery Store to Town

A grocery store is the lifeblood of a small community. The kids from the Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools in Nebraska get it. A group junior and senior high schoolers from the tiny town of Cody (population 149) traveled to Lincoln to make a pitch to lease land along a popular nature trail so a grocery store can be built. The nearest full-service store is 40 miles away. As the students put it, the store would attract people to their community and provide jobs for both adults and after-school workers. These students are pretty smart cookies.

Read the Article ® Grocery store could help tough town survive

Need to Help Neighbors Burns Strong

After a fire destroyed the only grocery store in Onaga, Kansas (population 683) late last year, residents have been desperate to get a grocery store back in town. With the closest store 45 miles away and winter driving conditions making the trip seem even longer, townspeople were especially concerned for the elderly in their community. The local diner, Wanda’s Country Cooking, stepped up to the plate to help out. They set up a makeshift grocery store in their restaurant and stock it with necessities picked up in town three times a week. The manager says the store has been good for business but, like everyone else, she’ll be glad when a full-fledged grocery store is back in town.

Read the Article ® Small town diner opens makeshift grocery store to keep Onaga fed

Building on Quality of Life

“If you had a $20 bill and didn’t want to go to the bar,

you’d be hard pressed to spend it in Taylor.”

Chuck Cone, Mayor of Burwell

Burwell, Garfield County growing

Town Grows Whopping 60% but Keeps Small Town Feel

CDA Press · Jennifer Elliott took a break from her walk along the Centennial Trail on Friday to ponder Post Falls’ [Idaho] growth during the past decade. She was “astounded” the city—her “happy medium” hometown between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene—grew 60 percent to 27,574 people in 2010, according to the Idaho Labor Department.

Read More ® Growing, growing, but small-town feel not gone

Location, Location, Location: Lakeside Town Grows

The Independent · Garfield County is one of the few rural counties in Nebraska that saw growth in the past 10 years, according to data recently released from the U.S. Census Bureau. After decades of population decline, the census data shows that Garfield County’s population increased to 2,049, up 7.7 percent from 10 years ago. The county’s only city, Burwell, grew by 7.1 percent.

Read More ® Burwell, Garfield County growing

Traditions Alive and Well in Tiny Town

Globe Gazette · Is it the ribs and chicken at Mitchell's restaurant? Or the possibility of actor Kevin Costner returning for another musical gig at the Ambroson barn? Something helped push Leland’s [Iowa] population from 258 to 289 over the past decade.

Read More ® Backroads North Iowa: Small-town traditions alive, well in Leland

Earth, Wind, and Fire[truck]

“I turned on the lights and blew the siren

and drove through town to the station.”

Rob Rohwedder

Fire Chief of Baldwin, Iowa Fire Department
Baldwin gets firetruck for a buck

Earth-Friendly Volunteers

Daily Sentinel · License plates turned into the Plymouth County [Iowa] Courthouse are recycled—and the money used for conservation. It started around 1998 when Tom De Koster explored the concept and started recycling the plates and giving the money to the Plymouth County Conservation Foundation.

Read More ® Iowa volunteers help recycle old license plates

Wind Farm Means Big Bucks for Local Economy

Mountain View Telegram · Nearly everyone packed into the Torrance County [New Mexico] Commission chambers Wednesday morning supported a request by Iberdrola Renewables for a special use district on 87,000 acres near Encino that will be home to the El Cabo wind farm. 

Read More ® Wind farm request OK’d

Firetruck for a Buck

Telegraph Herald · Can’t get much for a buck these days—a soda, a pair of socks, a thin burger, a pack of pencils. But if you happen to be the Baldwin [Iowa] Fire Department, you might pick up a shiny firetruck for a dollar.

Read More ® Baldwin gets firetruck for a buck